AHL names award winners for October

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Toronto Marlies forward Brendan Leipsic, Tucson Roadrunners defenseman Kyle Wood and Toronto Marlies goaltender Antoine Bibeau have been selected as the league’s award winners for October.

Leipsic, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, posted three goals and 10 assists for a league-best 13 points, along with a plus-6 rating, in eight games to start the season for the Marlies, who sit atop the AHL standings with a 6-1-0-1 record (.813).

Leipsic began the 2016-17 campaign with a four-point game, recording a goal and three assists in Toronto’s 5-2 win over Utica on Oct. 15. He went on to string together a six-game scoring streak, including a goal on Oct. 22 vs. Manitoba and a two-assist effort against the Moose on Oct. 23. Leipsic tallied a goal and two assists in the Marlies’ 4-3 overtime victory over Providence on Oct. 26, and registered his league-leading 10th assist on Oct. 29 at Albany.

A third-year pro from Winnipeg, Man., Leipsic has notched 37 goals and 84 assists for 121 points in 147 career AHL games with Toronto and Milwaukee. The 22-year-old Leipsic was originally a third-round selection by Nashville in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and played in the AHL All-Star Classic as a rookie in 2014-15. Leipsic has appeared in six career NHL games, recording one goal and two assists.

Wood, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, found the scoresheet in all five games for Tucson in October, totaling two goals and six assists for eight points while helping the Roadrunners to first place in the Pacific Division.

Wood began his first pro season with a goal and two assists in Tucson’s opening-night loss at San Diego on Oct. 14, then assisted on the deciding goal as the Roadrunners earned their first-ever victory with a 2-1 overtime win at Stockton on Oct. 21. Wood earned another assist on Oct. 22 at Bakersfield and again on Oct. 28 vs. Stockton before closing out the month with a goal and an assist in Tucson’s come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Heat on Oct. 30.

Wood, a 20-year-old native of Waterloo, Ont., spent the last three-plus seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, totaling 27 goals and 66 assists for 93 points in 165 games with Brampton and North Bay. A third-round choice by Colorado in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Wood was acquired by the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 29, 2016, and made his pro debut with Springfield (AHL) last spring, appearing in two games.

Bibeau, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, made six appearances in October and stopped 167 out of 177 shots, posting a 5-0-1 record with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .944 save percentage and two shutouts.

Bibeau saw his first action of the season on Oct. 16, stopping 19 shots in a 5-2 win over Utica. He made 28 saves as Toronto defeated Manitoba, 4-2, on Oct. 22, and then shut out the Moose the next day with a 22-save performance. Bibeau made 30 saves as the Marlies beat Providence, 4-3 in overtime, on Oct. 26, and then was named the game’s first star after stopping all 37 shots he faced in a 3-0 win at Albany on Oct. 28. He finished the month with a 31-save effort in a 4-3 shootout loss to Albany on Oct. 29. Only four of the 10 goals allowed by Bibeau in October came at even strength.

Now in his third pro season, Bibeau has a record of 48-19-7 with a 2.58 GAA, a .914 save percentage and nine shutouts in 78 career AHL appearances, all with Toronto. The 22-year-old native of Victoriaville, Que., was a sixth-round draft choice by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013.

Each player will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.